The Arizona sentinel., 1887-07-30
THE TRAGEDY OF HAMDUN.

| THE TRAGEDY OF HAMDUN.
 The Discovery of Two Tender-Hearted
 Little ChiIdren-Their Grief and Com | passion.
 One early summer morning before
 the damp touch of the dew had been
 wiped from the grass and flowers by
 the sun, and while impatient cows were
 waiting to be relieved of their precious
 burdens, two lit le children, straying
 from their home, and rambling along
 the main road of Hamdun, came sud
 denly upon a scene of tragedy. In one of the deep ruts of the road that had been cut by multitudinous wagon wheels the victim lay. The dark,
 thick native forest shaded the spot from one side, and on the other side the sheaves of a great corn field whis- pered.
 There were no very conspicuous in- dications that murder had been com mitted; probably no eyes but those of observing children would have discov- cred any thing. The underbrush at the edge of the woods had not been broken or trampled down, and not a stalk in the corn-ield was disturbed.
 It was evident there had been no struggle. To all appearances the vic tim had been attacked when he was resting or asleep, oblivious of danger, and beaten down before thought of opposition or flight could enter his brain.
 Poor little lifeless body-hardly more than baby-cut and crushed and mangled by the devices of its mur- derers and ground into the hard, rough road by the cruel wheels which had passed over it.
 It was stranger to the children they had never played with a little boy dressed as tlis poor body was. Its gar ment-only one remained-was made of soft material like fine fur-nothing like the cloth the people of Hamdun wove. The tender-hearted children grieved and had compassion-as much so, perhaps, as if the little one had been known to them. They gently lifted the mutilated form from the hard road, and, carrying it to the edge of the woods, laid it upon the soft green grass, where it was shaded by the rustling leaves over head. And when they had done this they ran to their mother to tell her of the discovery, for she was always the first one they searched for if they were in trouble or had any news to tell. But mother this morning, to their wonder and chagrin, took very little notice of what they said. Perhaps she did not realize the enormity of the crime and why should the poor, tired, over worked woman heed the prattle of children, who so often talked mere nonsense? Could she be blamed for not showing sympathy and sorrow when they spoke of a poor, mangled, defaced corpse? But the children, they blamed her and could not understand why she had been so cold and indiffer- ent. Disappointed and surprised they stole away once more to the spot where they had lain the remains. The dew was gone, for the sun was bright and warm now, but tears dampened the little body. With a stick these little ones scooped out tiny grave in the mold, and when it was done they tenderly placed the little victim there. They had no shroud to wrap about it, no casket to shield it, and had it not been for the falling tears the little would have been buried as men bury an animal. To the simple hearted grave-diggers, the spot was thing of quiet sadness for long after. Often they came to it and decked it with flowers and wept over it. And when the cold winter came, and they could visit the spot no more, they would cuddle before the warm fire and whisper over it.
 But no one else knew, and no one else would have cared. What is. the loss of one small being? What was the grief of parents who looked vainly for their offspring? No man or wo- man in the practical community of Hamdun would have even sighed nay, it is possible they all would have been glad if they knew there was one less field mouse in the world.-M r. Tribune.